NOW SPINNING
BLACKLISTED
Neko Case
ALT-COUNTRY | INDIE • 2002 • BLOODSHOT RECORDS
Neko Case's first two records, recorded with a backing band cheekily called, ‘& Her Boyfriends,’ were rooted in classic and alt.country, showcasing the incredible instrument that is her voice and some really fine neo-traditional playing by all involved.
'Blacklisted,' released in 2002, is her first full-length recording under just her own name, and that feels fitting, as it is something stranger, sometimes eschewing traditional verse-chorus-verse song structure, but always anchored by Case’s evocative, imagistic writing, her signature baritone guitar playing and, always, always, always, her staggering voice.
Maybe because of her alt.country history with Her Boyfriends, critics eventually landed on "country-noir," to describe what Case is doing here. I’d just call it American Music, and it’s captivated me since I first heard ‘Wish I Was the Moon’ on, I think, WFMU back in the day.
Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico guest, along with Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, and Dallas Good of frequent Case collaborators, The Sadies.
Kelly Hogan, who frequently tours and records with Case, sings with her on a cover of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Runnin’ Out of Fools,’ along with Mary Margaret O'Hara. Those equally impressive voices slink around Case’s and help her make a classic track fully her own.
'Deep Red Bells' is the song that could be Case laying down a marker about who she is as an artist and a person. It's about Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, who murdered at least 49 women in Washington State, where Case grew up. She's talked about how the news never spoke of the victims as women, and how the girls in her neighborhood believed he was coming for them, so they carried steak knives to school. The song is about a kind of fear specific to women, about never being certain where the real threats to your person lie.
Subsequent releases from Case build on the themes here, and we love (and own) them all. If you don’t know her work, ‘Blacklisted’ is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Check out her whole discography and read her terrific memoir, ‘The Harder I Fight the More I Love You.’
LISTEN & BUY
If at all possible, buy it at your local record store.